Zettelkasten for Fiction, Q&A, Part 1 - Basic Notebox Structure

[@Bri_Bri_the_Wise_Guy]

just discovered this method and i'm fascinated by it I have fleeting notes and pads and composition notebooks with brain dumps, research, notes of all sorts scattered throughout my "nook" no rhyme or reason. Yikes

[@AntiNovelist]

Hi Bri!! It will certainly revolutionize how you save, retain, and access your info!! see Scott Scheper's channel for LOTS of resources! Here's a 19 minute how-to breakdown! Nicolas Gatien -- Build Your Own Analog Zettelkasten (Antinet) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnmVeWaeq9KlhLMfeature=shared - Build Your Own Analog Zettelkasten ...

[@captainnolan5062]

Zettelkasten Method Explained: A Beginner's Guide [Link Removed - see comment below for a better link].

[@AntiNovelist]

Thank you for sharing the link, however, Vicky gets it wrong. At about minute 1:40 she starts advocating for the Sonke Ahrens style system which is not at all how Luhmann himself created and used his note box. She also goes into digitizing the system, which is the exact opposite of how the system was built to work because the analog nature of it is key to learning and creating. A much better resource is here: kzbin.info/aero/PLSofW8L-FnU9IYwmDTCnKM_IBOtO0nEqm As always -- I encourage people to explore widely and choose what works for them! Thanks again!

[@kathleenspracklen6849]

Great overview!!!

[@jameswall5758]

Love your videos thank you. I write stories and novels and am just starting with ZK. I can see how you use it for characters and plotting, but wondered whether you use it to capture general ideas, thoughts that may be used in the future for a character in a story or a novel. For example, you hear some great dialogue between two people and you want to capture that but don't know at the time where or even if you can use it. Do you use a section in your ZK for things like this? Same thing for other ideas that come to your mind, for potential future use

[@AntiNovelist]

Hi James! Thanks for the question! The short answer is - yes. I use my ZK for all sorts of idea captures that could be relevant to later writing. I have dedicated sections by topic in my fiction section: (e.g. "dialogue@argument", or "dialogue@romance"); I will put words, or phrases, or conversations that I might use or reference when writing that type of scene. I also use it for capturing elements of setting: (outdors@rainy - where I would record sight/sound/feel details that might inform a rainy scene). The thing that really makes it work is that you define your categories (in the way that makes most sense to you) and always populate your index with prompts that will get you back to where you put things and what your train of thought was. So, in my ZK for Fiction section (#1110), I have a section under the broad topic of 'Dialogue'. Then I can further distill that down into specific numbers as needed. I am working on a video walk through of my ZK sections explaining the use of those as part of the 'Research Driven Writer' series, so I'll be sure to tag you when I post it!! Where can I find your novels?!!!

[@jameswall5758]

@@AntiNovelist Hi Victoria. Thanks so much for your reply. Really useful. At the moment, I note down ideas or snippets of conversations in a notebook, but like the idea of these 'floating' words being more central. So, in your system, you will have, for example, 1110 for Fiction, and then record examples you overhear or think about under that section? So would that mean 1111, for example for dialogue outside, 1112 for Funny dialogue? Is that what you mean? Sorry to get into the weeds! I look forward to your next videos. Sound really informative. I'm seeking an agent for the novels but have quite a few stories published, some of which are online as well in print anthologies

[@AntiNovelist]

@@jameswall5758 LOL, I'm a fiction writer, I LOVE the weeds 😁 So, Video coming shortly to explain in detail (I think it will really help you see a path), stay tuned!! And... GOOD LUCK with queries!! I am a co-founder in a publishing co-op that will launch soon, maybe you can find a publishing home with us!!! More to follow!!

[@jameswall5758]

​@@AntiNovelist Great, thank you - look forward to that. By the way, are you familiar with Robert Olen Butler's book, From Where You Dream? There's a section in there where he talks about using notecards to develop scenes. I particularly like the idea that he suggests of having a sensory element to each scene in writing these

[@AntiNovelist]

@@jameswall5758 I'll look it up!!! Thanks!

[@rich_in_paradise]

Not a fan of computers, huh

[@AntiNovelist]

Actually, I love computer workflow (which comes in later). But this system is specifically designed to be analog for research as part of the writing process as Niklas Luhmann developed it.